Eatman: Pro Bowl Votes Should Debunk ‘Overrated’ Myth

For the last few years, Tony Romo has been called many things. I’m sure there were a few new nicknames created after the season finale in Washington.

But one description that has hovered over him for years should be tossed out the window immediately: Overrated.

Every year, NFL players are polled to answer questions about certain players and Romo’s name always makes the overrated list. Seems like he was No. 1 on the list a few years back.

Say what you want about Tony Romo, but he’s certainly not overrated at all.

I’m not saying he’s underrated or better than people think. In fact, I really don’t like the term “overrated” or “underrated” because I always wonder… well what’s his rating? Does he have an official rating and if so, ok let’s see how it stacks up.

But this latest Pro Bowl voting should tell you one thing- Romo certainly isn’t overrated in terms of perception.

Romo not only didn’t make the Pro Bowl, but he wasn’t one of the top three alternates. If Atlanta’s Matt Ryan makes it to the Super Bowl this weekend, then all three alternates will be used for the Pro Bowl. And Romo is left on the outside. That’s right, Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Russell Wilson were all picked ahead of Romo.

Remember, the voting ended after the Pittsburgh game as the Cowboys had won five of six games and Romo was arguably one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league. Whether it’s players, coaches or fans, Tony Romo isn’t rated very high at all.

Should he be? Obviously that’s open for debate.

One side will argue that when it’s time to be clutch, he fails. That he doesn’t win the games that really count. And that’s true. You can’t argue with that. The same could be said for the entire team, but we know it falls on the quarterback first and foremost.

The other side will argue that he’s the most valuable player on the team and he’s the reason they even have a chance to win these games. Each week, the outcome rests on his shoulders.

Personally, I’ve said my stance on Romo over and over: I think he’s a really good quarterback, but not one of the elites and he’s not good enough to win this thing without more help. He needs more of a running game and an offensive line he can trust.

But Romo will never be a fan favorite around the league… how could he be? He’s not a fan favorite among his own team.

Dallas Cowboys fans are everywhere. The amount of people that hit this website, that come from NFL.com and other avenues, we know they’re out there more than any other team. But yet, Romo can’t make it in the top six of the NFC? Obviously, you know Cowboys fans don’t vote for him like other teams do for theirs.

I understand there is an Aikman-Staubach expectation. But there should be a Quincy-Hutchinson-Bledsoe reality check.

Romo is obviously somewhere in the middle, but it doesn’t seem good enough. Call him a lot of things. But the overrated tag seems to have run its course. Read